Jeddah, SPA:
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud chaired the Cabinet session held at Al-Salam Palace here yesterday.
    At the outset of the session, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the talks, consultations and contacts that took place during the last week with a number of leaders of brotherly and friendly countries and their envoys, which focused on means of enhancing bilateral cooperation and addressed the developments at Arab and International arenas.
    In a statement to Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, the Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohieddin Khoja said that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques briefed the Cabinet on the meeting he held with President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir of Sudan, stressing the depth of relations between the two brotherly countries. The King also briefed the Cabinet on the telephone calls with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France as well as the message he received from President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia. The King also briefed the Cabinet on the audiences he held for Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani and Arab League Secretary General Dr. Nabil Al-Arabi. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques appreciated the efforts exerted by Qatar to sign the agreement between Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement which, in turn, adopted Doha Document for Peace in Darfur. He also wished the Arab League Secretary General all success in enhancing the role of the Arab League to achieve the aspirations of Arab peoples and countries.
Dr. Khoja also said that the Cabinet discussed a number of reports on the latest developments in a number of brotherly countries. The Cabinet said that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes the establishment of the State of South Sudan, officially recognizes the State of South Sudan and declares the Kingdom's readiness
to establish diplomatic relations with the State of South Sudan. The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hopes that the friendly state will effectively take its role as a new member of the international community, and that this recognition will be a step towards the establishment of relations based on respect and fruitful cooperation between the two countries, washing the people of South Sudan steady progress and prosperity.
The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also hopes that mutual respect between the two neighbors, South Sudan and North Sudan, will prevail in order to achieve security and stability in the region.
The Cabinet hailed the efforts exerted by the Ministerial Committee on Arab Peace Initiative that aimed at calling upon the United Nations Member States to recognize the State of Palestine in accordance with the June 4, 1967 borders with Eastern Al-Quds as its capital, and to move ahead and request a full UN membership for the State of Palestine and mobilize international support for this move.
In light of the growing recognition of the Palestinian State, the Cabinet called upon the international community to take a firm stance to compel Israel to respect the international laws and to withdraw completely from all Arab territories occupied in 1967, establishing the independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds as its capital in accordance with the resolutions of the international legitimacy and the Arab peace initiative.
Dr. Khoja also said that the Cabinet condemned the blasts in Mumbai, India, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. The Cabinet renewed the Kingdom's condemnation of all forms of terrorism, offering the Kingdom's condolences to the government and people of India and the families of the victims.
Dr. Khoja said that the Cabinet reviewed a number of topics on its agenda and issued the following decisions:
The Cabinet approved the final accounts of the Saudi Wildlife Commission for the fiscal year 1430/1431H.
The Cabinet approved the Reference Model of the Convention on the Transfer of Persons Sentenced to Deprivation of Freedom between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the countries with whom cooperation in this field is of interest.
The Cabinet approved a number of measures pertaining to the draft Universal Declaration of Human Duties.
The Cabinet authorized the Minister of Higher Education -or his deputy- to discuss and sign with the French side a project to train Saudi medical specialists in France under the cooperation agreement in the field of higher education and scientific research which was signed in Riyadh on 13/01/2008 between the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the government of the French Republic.
The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The Cabinet approved a number of appointments as follows:
1- Dr. Sulaiman bin Mohammed bin Ali Al-Turki appointed to the post of Economic Adviser (Rank 15) at the Ministry of Finance.
2- Abdulaziz bin Ali bin Suleiman Al-Thweini appointed to the post of Director General of Rights (Rank 14) at the Ministry of Interior.
3-  Obeidallah bin Hamdan bin Saeed Al Sanaa appointed to the post of Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry for Audit (Rank 14) at the Ministry of Civil Service.